Bunny bonding and humping

[maggie and harry]

Hey! I started bonding my two bunnies today. They are both fixed and i have a female (hermaphrodite but she has a dewlap and acts like a female) and a male. The bonding has gone really good and they have been cuddling and grooming each other non-stop! The only problem is that my male is humping her a lot. He is also honking a lot. He was neutered about a month ago so i don’t think it is hormonal. Also, they are in a neutral area. My female did tolerate it at first but now she will run away. Is there a way to stop this or should I go back and pre bond them.

[Wick & Fable]

While the neuter was a month ago, it is definitely possible he is still hormonal and recovering from it. I would go back and start pre-bonding them. It seems you started as soon as post-fix recovery, but hormones may still be pretty active so I think pre-bonding during this time would be much more productive than trying sessions, especially since he’s responding as he is.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[maggie and harry]

thanks! I will switch their litterbox and toys today.

[DanaNM]

How long ago have you been working with them? And how long ago was the female spayed? I completely agree with Wick, but if you could fill out the “Bonding template” and paste it in your reply it would help us get an even better picture of what’s going on.

I ask because some humping is normal in the bonding process, so if you only just started working with them it could resolve with more time.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[maggie and harry]

Spay/Neuter
Are your bunnies spayed/neutered?

yes

If so, for how long (for each)?

4 months for me female (she didn’t have any hormones though because she is a hermaphrodite)

1 month for my male

If not, why not?

Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here.

Housing
Please describe your bunnies’ current housing set-up (living together, as neighbors, etc.).

Currently, My bunnies are both in separate bathrooms.

Bonding background
Did you allow the bunnies to “settle-in”?

yes
How would you describe your bunnies reactions towards each other (answer for each bunny): shy, scared, curious, calm, aggressive, excited, affectionate, etc.?

They are both very affectionate toward each other and groom and snuggle, although they do hump each other (I did another session after I switched their cages and they humped a lot less – I did the session for 4 hrs and they humped three times)

Have you done any “pre-bonding” (cage or litter box swaps, etc.)?

yes cage swaps
If so, for how long?

1 day
Have you started sessions yet?

yes
How long have you been working on bonding your bunnies?

3 days
How frequently do you have bonding sessions, and how long are they?

I do them everyday for 4-7 hours since they get along so well
Have you tried any stressing techniques?

yes, I put them in a laundry bin and carried them around the room.

 

 

 

 

I hope that helps 🙂 I did do another session after the cage swaps and like I said before, they were not really humping each other, but they did do it three times, so IMO I am not worried and I don’t think it will be a problem. Should I proceed with the sessions though, or should I keep pre-bonding them?

[DanaNM]

So you have basically just started! So honestly your bond sounds like it will probably be pretty easy if they started grooming and cuddling that quickly.

I would maybe pause and do a bit more pre-bonding (maybe a week or two). Letting him get really used to her scent through the cage swaps might make her less exciting when they are actually together, especially since they haven’t been living side by side. And then I think more sessions will help. Mounting is fine, but face mounting should be stopped (you can kind of spin him around so he’s in the correct position). If she runs away, don’t let him chase for more than a couple seconds.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[maggie and harry]

ok 🙂 tysm for your help!

[Author]

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